The Best of Cambodia & Laos

Its name translates as “golden city monastery,” echoing a pre-Buddhist era when the
area was known as Muang (municipality) Xieng Thong. Wat Xieng Thong is a perfect
example of the Lao style with a low, majestic, sweeping roof with stylized naga boards.
Inside, there is a magnificent Buddha image and overhead is a naga-shaped wooden
channel that carries the water for the new year and ordination ceremonies before it flows
out through the trunk of a carved elephant.
Outside, on the rear wall of the temple, there is a “tree of life” in mosaic. Inside the
richly decorated wooden columns hold up an elaborate ceiling on which “dharma
wheels” are portrayed in gold. Other buildings in the complex include what the French
called “La Chapelle Rouge” or the Red Chapel. This contains a rare and beautiful black
reclining Buddha that was most likely carved at roughly the same time King Setthathirat
ordered the construction of the original sim. This is a very unusual image indeed since it
breaks from the predominantly Lanna- and Thai-oriented styles that one normally sees
on reclining Buddhas in Laos and was made in a pure Lao classical manner.
Like other Buddha images from Laos that ended up elsewhere, this image is fairly well
traveled. The French took it to Paris for the city’s 1931 exhibition and, when it was
returned to Laos, it stayed in Vientiane before finally being returned to Wat Xieng Thong
in 1964.
Another remarkable sight is the imposingly enormous (12m/39-ft. high) funeral carriage
that was paraded through Luang Prabang, carrying the ashes of royalty as part of
the funeral rites. There are funeral urns containing the ashes themselves. They are protected
by yet another fearsome naga.
Khem Khong Rd. Admission 20,000 kip. Daily 8am–5pm.
WALKING TOUR LUANG PRABANG
START: Wat Phousi
FINISH: Mekong riverbank
TIME: 3 or 4 hours, not including eating or shopping stops.
BEST TIMES: Morning or late afternoon
Luang Prabang is a city made for strolling. It’s a tiny place, and every few steps you will
come across something ancient or fascinating or both. Be sure to read the full listings for
each wat, above.
Start with a climb up the hill to:
1 Wat Phousi
Wat Phousi provides excellent views of the
town, with the two rivers that flank it set
out before you.
At the foot of the hill is:
2 Wat Pa Huak
This wat features fascinating murals of life
in Luang Prabang in centuries past.
Cross over the road to the:
3 Royal Palace Museum
This museum allows you to take in some of
the atmosphere of the prerevolution royal
city. You can also see a replica of the Pha
Bang statue that gives the city its name.
Now walk directly northeast up the peninsula of land
where most of Luang Prabang’s sites are situated. It
starts as Sisavangvong Road and turns into Sakkarine
Road. Along the way, you will find:
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LUANG PRABANG & NORTHERN LAOS 13
WALKING TOUR: LUANG PRABANG